Miley Cyrus' Magic Mint: Kappa Opioid Receptor Agonist Salvinorin A

Bong hits aren’t the only way to get high with the leaves of the Mexican sage Salvia divinorum; you can also chew them as a wad or drink an infusion made from freshly crushed leaves. Salvia means “to heal” and divinorum means “divination”, reflecting its traditional uses by Mazatec folk healers or Shamans in Oxaxaca, Mexico. Modern recreational use of the drug mostly relies on “pyrolysis and inhalation,” in other words, a bong hit as recently demonstrated by pop singer Miley Cyrus in a YouTube video.

S. divinorum is only one of about 1,000 species of Sage -- one you're probably more familiar with (and undoubtedly ingested at Thanksgiving) is Salvia officinalis, which is a culinary seasoning for poultry and fatty meats.

Salvia divinorum produces intense hallucinations of spatiotemporal dislocation within minutes of ingestion, and its effects can last up to an hour. There are also physiological effects on multiple organ systems.

The active ingredient of S. divinorum is a chemical compound called Salvinorin A, and its effects are mediated by selective binding to the kappa opioid receptor (KOR) in the brain. However Salvinorin A has a completely different structure compared with other molecules that bind to opioid receptors and this property, along with its specificity for KOR, has generated intense pharmacological and pharmaceutical research interest over the past decade.

Experiments in mice, rats, guinea pigs and non-human primates have demonstrated a number of pharmacological activities including antinociceptive properties, inhibition of myenteric cholinergic transmission and stimulation of dynorphinergic signaling. These properties have suggested therapeutic uses ranging from diarrhea to refractory depression, from Alzheimer's disease to schizophrenia.

If you want to feel how Miley felt, you can enroll in one of several clinical research trials which are actively recruiting subjects. Alternatively, over-the-counter preparations of dried salvia leaves (with various added flavors such as banana, strawberry, and apple) can be widely found on the internet. Salvia divinorum is an unregulated substance and currently legal in most of the U.S. and other countries.